Month: June 2020

Knicks owner James Dolan said the MSG company is, “not any more qualified than anyone else to offer our opinion on social matters.”

Knicks owner James Dolan reportedly issued an internal memo to Madison Square Garden employees on Monday, defending the company’s decision not to issue a statement on the death of George Floyd. 

“We know that some of you have asked about whether our company is going to make a public statement. …The coronavirus and civil unrest have taken their toll on our way of life. We at Madison Square Garden stand by our values of respect and peaceful workplace. We always will,” Dolan wrote in the memo obtained by ESPN. “As companies in the business of sports and entertainment, however, we are not any more qualified than anyone else to offer our opinion on social matters.”

“What’s important is how we operate. Our companies are committed to upholding our values, which include creating a respectful workplace for all, and that will never change.”

Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. Police officer Derek Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes outside a convenience store, and video of the incident features Floyd saying “I can’t breathe,” numerous times. 

Dolan’s Knicks and the Spurs are the only two teams to not issue a statement on Floyd’s death as of Monday night. Multiple New York players have participated in protests across the country in recent days, including guard Dennis Smith Jr.

Dolan began his tenure as the Knicks owner in 1999. New York has not posted a winning record since 2012-13, and it has not reached the conference finals in the 21st century. 

Jones: “Lots of work to do out in the streets today men. If you’re a real one, call your boys and get to work.”

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones helped clean the streets of Albuquerque on Monday following protests on Sunday night after the death of George Floyd.

Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. He was stopped by police officer Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes. Floyd can be seen on video repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe,” before his death.

Protests emerged throughout the country following Floyd’s death, including in Albuquerque. Jones helped clean and rebuild the city on Monday. 

“Lots of work to do out in the streets today men,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “If you’re a real one, call your boys and get to work.”

Jones also provided a public service on Sunday night. He confronted a pair of teenagers carrying spray cans, taking the cans in order to prevent vandalism during the protests. 

“Why the f— are you punk ass teenagers destroying our cities,” Jones wrote on Sunday. “As a young black man trust me I’m frustrated as well but this is not the way, we are starting to make a bad situation worse.”

Jones, 32, is a resident of Albuquerque. He claimed the light heavyweight championship after defeating Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in February. 

The rookie’s ADP may be soaring in Indy, but that doesn’t mean Marlon Mack is done for the Colts.

There is nothing fantasy football owners like to do more than draft rookie running backs.

Everyone wants to be the guy that snagged the stud back in his rookie season. Consequently, it leads to first-year backs being talked up as a guy that has a shot to be an immediate stud, or a cash-and-stash option.

In this year’s early drafts we’ve already seen a pair of rookie running backs shoot up draft boards with Kansas City Chiefs first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire, along with Indianapolis Colts second rounder Jonathan Taylor.

Colts insider Phillip B Wilson had this to say about the Colts backfield,

“Based on the initial comments from head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, they foresee an effective 1-2 punch with 2019 leading rusher Marlon Mack and rookie Jonathan Taylor”.

Taylor has the talent to be a dynamic back for years to come, but I’m worried that his ADP may be too high.

In early drafts, Taylor has an ADP of 30th overall while last year’s lead option Marlon Mack has an ADP of 88 overall.

Chill out, folks.

Mack ran for over 1,00 yards last season and just missed that mark in 2018. He’s a tough inside runner who is severely limited in the passing game, catching only 14 passes a season ago.

And despite that, he still finished as the RB17 in standard leagues last year.

I know it’s tempting to pay up for Taylor, but if you do, you’ll be drafting a back in a timeshare to start the season. And if Mack continues to produce, that timeshare could last the whole year.

Taylor has to get into camp, learn the offenses blocking schemes, and unseat a veteran back who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season.

So, for all you fantasy footballers ready to send Taylor’s ADP through the roof, it’s time for all of you to calm down, and let the man grow up.